Switchergear device

ABSTRACT

Motor starter device comprising an elongated base provided with power poles acted upon by a contactor part and a protection part.  
     The base houses power current lines  15  and their control mechanism  20 . Two movable linkages ( 30, 40 ) are associated with this mechanism, namely a first linkage  30  controlled by the electromagnet in the contactor part  16  and a second linkage  40  moved by the tripping device  18  in the protection part or by the manual control button  17 . The linkages actuate signalling contacts  31, 32; 41, 42, 43, 44  staggered on different levels, these contacts being housed in removable blocks A, B, added onto the housing in a fixed part C subjacent to the housing.

[0001] This invention relates to a motor starter device comprising powercurrent lines with separable contacts, and a contactor part providedwith a control electromagnet and a protection part provided with atleast one tripping device, that will control the current line polesthrough a mechanical control device, and a manual control button capableof opening poles on current lines.

[0002] Motor starter devices comprising a circuit breaker device and acontactor device already exist, in which the two devices are installedon a common base that is used to fix the complete assembly to a backsupport and to contain the monitoring and signalling conductors, theseconductors connecting this device to automation devices, possiblythrough a bus system. These known devices include auxiliary contactsconnected to the automation devices, the condition of these contactsbeing representative of the state of the power poles or the trippedstate of the circuit breaker device. The structure of known devicesneeds to be improved, to improve localisation of contacts and the easeof actuation of these contacts.

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to propose a motor starterdevice structure capable of being put into different operating statesand provided with auxiliary contacts for the transmission of informationabout these states, the structure considered grouping and simplifyingthe localisation and control of the auxiliary contacts.

[0004] According to the invention, the device is provided with a housingelongated along one determined direction, in which the current lines areenclosed and with which the contactor part and the protection part areassociated; power poles state signalling contacts, tripped statesignalling contacts and button state contacts, are arranged staggered onseveral levels in the direction along the length of the housing; twodrive devices are associated with the mechanical control deviceextending along the direction of the length of the housing and actuatingdifferent levels of signalling contacts, namely a first drive devicecontrolled by the control electromagnet and a second drive device usedby the tripping device or the manual control button.

[0005] The drive devices are preferably a two-position linkage thatsignals the state of the poles, and a three-position linkage thatsignals the tripped state and the state of the button, capable ofsliding along their own length parallel to the power current lines.

[0006] It is advantageous if the drive devices actuate pole statesignalling contacts, tripped state signal contacts or button statuscontacts arranged in at least one removable block added onto thehousing, at different staggered levels along the length of the housingand possibly in a fixed part of the housing in a strictly coordinatedmanner, making use of drive elements located at different positionsalong their length.

[0007] The description given below applies to a non-limitativeembodiment of the invention with reference to the attached drawings.

[0008]FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows a motor starter device conform withthe invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic front view of the bottom part of thedevice.

[0010]FIG. 3 illustrates the control formed by the three-position triplinkage.

[0011] The motor starter device 10 shown comprises a control part 11 incontactor mode, a protection part 12 and a housing 13 in which the parts11, 12 are enclosed or to which they are assembled. Depending on thecase, the parts 11, 12 may be integrated into a single housing 13, orthe part 12 may be added on removably to a housing 13 containing thepart 11 (this is the case that is illustrated on FIG. 1) or the parts11, 12 may be added on to the housing 13 similarly. In all cases, thehousing 13 is elongated along a direction X, preferably vertical, andhas separable single break or multiple break contacts 14, shown here asdouble break contacts, for the different power current lines 15 of thedevice.

[0012] The contacts 14 are controlled by the contactor part 11 as afunction of the power supply to an electromagnet 16, or by theprotection part 12 following a defect detected in the power currentlines 15 by sensors not shown, or by a manual control button 17. Thesensors are connected to the protection part 12, which in the case of afault, controls opening of the contacts 14 through at least oneelectromagnetic or electronic tripping device 18. The manual controlbutton 17 is provided on the front face of the device 10 and is used tomanually open the contacts 14 and to rearm the device after tripping.

[0013] A mechanical device 20 acts on the contacts 14 to open and closethem. The device 20 is housed in the housing 13 and it comprises amechanism 21 on which the electromagnet 16 acts, and a mechanism 22 withwhich the button 17 and the tripping device 18 cooperate and whichitself cooperates with mechanism 21, the mechanisms 21, 22 possiblyhaving some parts in common. Furthermore, removable power terminalblocks 13 a, 13 b are placed near the top and the bottom of the housing13 to connect power current lines 15 (along the direction of the arrowsshown) to a power supply and a load.

[0014] The mechanism 22 drives a mobile part 40 that will actuate thefirst auxiliary signalling contacts and the electromagnet 21 drives amobile part 30 that will actuate second auxiliary signalling contacts.Although the parts 30 and 40 may be levers, they are preferably slidinglinkages housed in the housing 13 and extending along the length of thehousing (X direction) and guided so as to slide along their length(vertically as shown in FIG. 1).

[0015] The linkage 30 can thus be moved in translation from one workingposition to a standby position, and vice versa in response to switchingof the electromagnet 16. It has conformations distributed along itslength, for example the pins 30B, 30C for controlling the first contacts31 and second pole state signalling contacts 32, and representative ofthe working or standby state of the device in contactor mode. Thecontacts 31 are located in a communications block or a signalling blockB added on removably to the front of the housing 13, and the contacts 32are integrated into a fixed part C of the housing 13; this part C islocated at the bottom end of the housing. In more detail, the contacts32 comprise a normally open type contact 32 a and a normally closed typecontact 32 b. Contacts in block B denote mechanical contacts orelectronic switches controlled by the movement of a mechanical part;block B may be connected to an automation device, particularly through afield bus connected to the front or side of the device using a connectornot shown.

[0016] The linkage 40 can be moved in translation to move into threepositions: an On position, an Off position and a tripped position,depending on the state of the mechanism 22, to represent the “ready”state, the “off” and the “trip” state of the device respectively. Thelinkage 40 is provided with conformations, for example pins 40B, 40Adistributed along its length, to actuate the first signalling contacts41 located in the removable communications or signalling block B, andsecond signalling contacts 42, 43 located in a removable add on part 8adjacent to block B. Furthermore, the lower end of the linkage 40 isprovided with a pin 40C provided to actuate a third contact 44, thefunction of which is to isolate the device (particularly theelectromagnet coil) from its power supply. The power supply conductorsof the device are connected to terminals 44A1,44A2 (visible in FIG. 2)associated with the third contact 44 and located in part C of thehousing 13. The presence of the pins on the same linkage enablescoordinated actuation or linked actuation of the different contacts.

[0017] As can be seen on FIGS. 1 and 2, the signalling contacts thathave just been described are spread along the housing 13 at differentlevels corresponding to presence of the communications or signallingblock B (level I), the additive or add-on part A (level II) and theintegrated lower part (level II). The contacts of A, B and C arecontrolled from the pins or other drive elements through any normalmechanical transmission.

[0018]FIG. 3 shows the state of the contacts 41,42,43,44 for the threepositions of the device (On, Off and trip) in an example embodiment inwhich the switch 41 is of the three-state type. Thus, the potentialsobserved on the output lines of the switch 41 are V+ and 0 in the Onposition, 0 and 0 in the off position, and 0 and V+ in the trippedposition. The contact 42 is open in the Off position and in the Onposition, and closed in the tripped position. The contacts 43 and 44 areclosed in the On position and are open in the Off and tripped positions.

[0019] In one variant of the invention, the block B and the additive oradd-on part A may be combined into a single removable block. In anothervariant, the part C may be located in an add on part, such that theblock C, the add-on part A and the add-on part C are then both in thesame removable add-on part fixed to the housing 13.

[0020] When the device is in the Off position, the electromagnet is nolonger powered, the mechanism is assumed to be rearmed, and the contacts14 are open. The linkage 40 is in its medium position (off position onFIGS. 2 and 3) and the linkage 30 in its standby position (FIG. 2)signalling that the poles are open, such that the switch 41 is in theneutral position (its first and second outputs being equal to 0), thecontacts 42,43,44 are open, contacts 31 and 32 a are open and contact 32b is closed.

[0021] To put the device into the On state, the button 17 is put intothe On position such that the linkage 40 moves from its On position inwhich the first output from switch 41 changes to 1 (V+), while thecontact 42 remains Open and the contacts 43, 44 close; the power poles14 are then open or closed as a function of the power supply to theelectromagnet 16. If the coil of the electromagnet is actuallyenergized, the linkage 30 changes to its working position, which meansthat the poles are closed. The contacts 31 and 32 a close and thecontact 32 b opens. If the electromagnet coil is not energized, thelinkage 30 remains in the standby position.

[0022] When the device trips following a fault or a test operation, thelinkage 40 changes to its tripped position and the second output fromthe switch 41 changes to 1 (V+), while the contacts 42 closes and thecontacts 43,44 open. Since the contact 44 interrupts the power supply tothe device, the linkage 30 moves to the standby position (if it was notalready in the standby position), which opens the contacts 31 and 32 aand closes contact 32 b.

1. A motor starter device comprising power current lines with separablecontacts, and a contactor part (11) provided with a controlelectromagnet (16) and a protection part (12) provided with at least onetripping device (18) that will control the current lines (15) through amechanical control device (20), and a manual control button (17) capableof opening the current lines, characterised by the fact that the deviceis provided with a housing elongated along one determined direction (X),in which the current lines (15) are enclosed and with which thecontactor part (11) and the protection part (12) are associated, powerpole state signalling contacts (14) and tripped state and button statesignalling contacts (17) are arranged staggered on several levels in thedirection (X) along the length of the housing (13), two drive devices(30,40) are associated with the mechanical control device (20) namely afirst drive device (30) controlled by the control electromagnet (16) anda second drive device (40) used by the tripping device (18) or themanual control button (17), the drive devices actuating differentsignalling contact levels (31,32; 41,42,43,44).
 2. Device according toclaim 1, characterised by the fact that the drive mechanisms (30,40) aretwo linkages extending along the direction (X) corresponding to thelength of the housing, and capable of sliding along their own lengthparallel to the power current lines (15).
 3. Device according to claim2, characterised by the fact that the movable linkages consist of atwo-position linkage (30) that signals the state of the poles, and athree-position linkage (40) that signals the tripped state and the stateof the button.
 4. Device according to claim 1, characterised by the factthat the drive devices (30,40) actuate pole state signalling contacts(31,32), tripped state signal contacts or button state contacts(41,42,43,44), all linked together, arranged in at least one removableblock (A,B) added onto the housing, staggered along the length of thedrive devices, and possibly in a fixed part (C) of the housing (13)making use of drive elements (30B,30C; 40B,40A,40C) located at differentlevels (I,II,III).
 5. Device according to claim 1, characterised by thefact that the pole state signalling drive device (30) actuates polestate signal contacts, namely first contacts (31) located in acommunications or signalling block (B) added on removably to thehousing, and second contacts (32) integrated into a part (C) of thehousing (13), all linked together, through drive elements (30B, 30Crespectively) staggered along the length of the drive device, the block(B) and the part (C) of the housing being staggered on at least twolevels (I,III).
 6. Device according to claim 1, characterised by thefact that the trip signalling drive device (40) actuates trip signalcontacts, namely first contacts (41) located in a communications orsignalling block (B), and second contacts (42, 43) housed in an add-onblock (A), the add-on block and the communications or signalling block(A) being added on removably to the housing (13) and placed adjacent toeach other at two levels (I, II) along the length of the housing, alllinked together, through drive elements (40B, 40C respectively)staggered along the length of the trip signal device.
 7. Deviceaccording to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the trip signaldevice is provided with a pin (40C) designed to actuate a contact (44)to isolate the electromagnet coil, this contact (44) being located inthe fixed part (C) of the housing (13).